Package for fragile articles



W. J. DE REAMER 1,843,543

PACKAGE FOR FRACTILE ARTICLES Filed Jan. 111930 2 Sheets-Sheet l Feb. 2, 1932a Summum @@@QQQ y- @@Q@ /M A EIQQA c 3 QCQCQ;

@m'gm 24AM/#Mmm Feb., 2, 1932., w. .1. DE REAMER L843543 PACKAGE FOR FRAGILE ARTICLES Filed Jan. 1l, 1930 2 Shee'cs-Sheefl 2 *Wim ya. ,Q @11 @btw/WW EMA/@M .a rn..'1.111111111111111'1L' Patented Feb. 2,1932 I ITED' STATES WILLIAM il'.` DE BEAMER, OF POINT, INDIANA PACKAGE FOR FRAGILE ABTIOIJES Application filed January 11,1930. Serial No. 420,201.

This invention relates to an improvement in a package for fragile articles and inthe method of packaging such articles.

llt is one of the objects of the invention to improve upon the devices shown and described in lLetters Patent No. 1,139,359 and No. 1,214,451. To this end there is shown herein aunitary, reinforced package readily formed from a sheet of brous or similar ma to terial or sheet of moulded cells.

lin a general way, it may be said that this device comprises a foldable sheet having portions with moulded seats thereon and intermediate plain and indented portions. From this sheet a. unitary package can be formed by initially folding the end portions into a predetermined position and then by a nal folding operation closing the parts. lnits linal stage the package has in effect a two ply case consisting of the inner part having two hinged flaps and the outervcover or'case en-5 closing these inner Haps. The hinged flaps function as flats forming complete enclosing cells for the article, and these iiaps are formed from the extreme portions of the sheet. rllhese aps are attached at one end to the case, but have been contiguous ends, giving desirable Hexibility to the composite structure. 'llhe outer cover or case comprises 3@ the portion of the sheet intermediate the ends or moulded seat portions and on their inner folded surfaces (upper surface of the sheet) have ribs and projections which form cushions and supports for the seats. ln this way there is formed an improved package doubly reinforced, the cells of which are protected v in an improved manner, and all moulded in a single fibrous sheet. y

Other objects and advantages will be in 4@ part indicated in the following description and in part rendered apparent therefrom in connection with the annexed drawings.

To enable other skilled in the art so fully to apprehend the underlying features here 35 of that they may embody the same in the various ways contemplated by this invention, drawings depicting a preferred typical construction have lbeen annexed as a part of this disclosure and, in such drawings, like characters of reference denote corresponding parts throughout all the views, of which Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan View of the unfolded sheet; Fig. 2 is a partial sectional view, showing in dotted lines the flaps partially folded and at the center of they figure the completely folded package in upstanding position and Fig. 3 is a sectional end view of the package in its horizontal position; Fig. 4f is a plan view of the package showing the ribs and cushioning projection for four cells and Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section of the package, a part being broken away.

Referring to Fig. l there lis shown an extended sheet of fi rous or similar material and at each end there are strips 1 and 2 formed with convex moulded seats 3 extending upwardly therefrom and these strips are hereinafter termed daps which are made to function as dats that' support the fragile articles. intermediate the ends of this sheet are the plain unindented portions 4 4, which together form one of the outer sides of the completed package and the indented portions 5--5 which form the top and bottom of the 75 package, while the portion 6 forms an outer side of said package.

rlhe first step after forming the sheet with the moulded seats 3 and intermediate portions is to fold initially the end portions 1- 8o and 2 so that they assume the position shown in Fig. 2 where one strip rests upon an adjacent portion '5. ln this initial position of the strips we have two daps, each attached at one end to the sheet, but-having .free ends projecting towards the center of the sheet, the free ends being spaced apart the distance equal to the width of the portion 6.' ln effect, A

there are now two separate inner dats lying in the same horizontal plane and spaced apart t@ suciently to enable them to be folded a second time to complete the package. In this initial folded position, the moulded seats have been turned upside down so that the conveX projection lies below the strip and rests upon the intermediate portion 5, and the concave part is on the upper side of the Hap. The cushioning devices 7 and 8 preferably project from the intermediate portions 5 support and cushion the seats 3 in a very desirable manner. As shown in Fi s. 2 and 4 there is one cone shaped member associated with a plurality of seats and these members 7 tend to hold the seats above the outer walls of the package and the cross ribs 8 protect also the seats by reason of the fact that the seats rest upon these ribs 8 as shown clearly in Fig. 5.

The package is finally folded into the position shown in Figs. 3 and 5 by folding along the dotted lines at the extremities of the unindented portion 6, wherebfy outer side of the complete package. fn this way the two halves of the package are brought into juXta-position as clearly shown at the center of Fig. 2, the seats of one half registering with the seats of the other half, forming thereby complete enclosed cells. Of course, the fragile articles are placed in the seats before the final folding operation occurs, and afterarticles are placed in the seats in one half of the package, then the other half is folded upon the rst mentioned half.

K It will now be apparent that there is shown herein a unitary package of a double ply character, due to the innersupporting flats being encased by the portions l.1 -4, 5 5 and 6. The two strips 4 form one side of thelenclosing case, the strips 5 5 form the top and bottom and the strip 6 forms the remaining side. Consequently, from a flat sheet there has been formed a filler within an outer case reinforced and cushioned in a desirable way. By

, reason of the engagement of the cushion members 7 with the seats 3, there is presented simple means for securely holding the interior flats and cells from unilesirable movement Within the case and there,is sufficient flexibility due to the hinged inn'er structure without presenting an undesirable movement of the one relative to the other.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of this invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readilyadapt it yfor various utilizations by retaining one or more of the features that, from the standpoint of the prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of either the generic or s ecific aspects of this invention and, there ore such adaptations should be, and are intended to be, comprehended within the meaning and yrange of equivalency of the following claims.

Having thus revealed this invention, l claim as new and desire to secure the follow- 6 will become the 'bottom walls and one side wall of said ing combinations and elements, or equivalents thereof, by Letters Patent of the United States 1. An article package formed from a sheet of material having indented seat portions, intermediate unindented portions and poi;- tions having sets of ribs and a series of projecting cones, the indented seat portions being folded to form interior holding members unattached at their free ends, the unindented portions forming two of the outer sides and the indented portions forming additional sides with the cones contacting against adj acent seats and the ribs cushioning the bottoms of the seats.

2. An article package formedfrom -a sheet of material having indented seat portions,

intermediate unindented portions and portions having sets of ribs and a series of projecting cones, vthe unindented ortions formindented portions forming two of the outer sides and the indented portions formin additional sides with the cones positioned between a series of the seats one conebeing associated with four'seats for lholdin and cushioning the same, the ribs being ad3acent said cones, forming transverse cushioning means for the seats.

4. An article package formed from a sheet of material with seven transverse foldable sections, the outer two of said sections being relatively wide and having indented seat ortions normally inverted but capable of ing initially folded to bring said seat portions into upright position for the insertion of the articles, two relatively narrow sections cooperating with said seats for supporting said'foldable sections in their initially foldforminor additional sides with the ed position Vand three intermediate sections l capable of being folded to form the top and ackage, the supporting sections together Forming the other side Wall of said package, when the parts are in their final folded position. 5. An article package formed from a sheet of material comprising seven transverse foldable sections, the outer two of said sections being relatively wide and havin moulded therein complemental pairs of article-receiving seats; a relatively narrow section adjoining each of said outer sections; a central section substantially twice the width of said relatively narrow sections; intermediate sections of substantially the same width as said outer sections connecting said central section with said relatively narrow sections, said outer sections being foldable upon said intermediate sections to position said seats in contact therewith and said intermediate sections being subsequently foldable perpendicular to said central section to bring said two outer sections into contact thereb to 1o cause complemental ones of said seats to orm complete article enclosures; said central sec` tion forming one side wall of the completely folded package and said two relatively narrow sections together forming the othen side l5 wall thereof. f

6. An article package as defined in claim 5 in which the intermediate sections are each formed with moulded cones of substantially the same height as the width of said relatively narrow sections and adapted, when the outer sections are folded upon said intermediate sections, to fit between and engage the side walls of four of said article receiving seats and to engage the underside of one of said outer sections thereby to add rigidity and strength to the ackage.

7. An article package formed o a single continuous sheet of fibrous material comprising a horizontally disposed top wall; a bottom Wall parallel to the top wall, a single vertically arranged side wall connecting one edge of the top Aand bottom walls; a depending side wall connected to the other edge of said top Wall; an upstanding wall connected to the other edge of said bottom wall, the combined width of said depending and upstanding walls being substantially the same as the width of the rst named side walls;

a pair of intermediate walls one connected to said depending wall and the other connected to said upstanding wall, said inter! mediate Walls beingarran ed in Contact and extending toward and su stantially to the first named side wall; oppositely extending article-receiving seats moulded in said intermediate walls and extending to and contacting with the top and bottom walls respectively, complemental pairs of said seats forming complete enclosures for articles and saidy to bottom and side walls surrounding sai enclosures.

8. The method of forming an article pack- .age from a substantially rectangular dat sheet of fibrous material which consists in moulding'in said sheet, adjacent opposite edges thereofa plurality of complemental article seats each 'designed to receive approximately one half o the article; scoring said sheet transversely to divide the sheet into seven foldable sections the first, third,- ifth and seventh of which, counting from either end, are of substantially the width ,of ythe ultimately finished package, the central section being of a width equal to the height a5 of the inished packagey and the other two being substantially one-half the width of the central section; initially folding the first and vseventh sections inwardly to position the outer wall of saidl seats upon the third and fifth sections; and subsequently., folding the third and fifth sections inwardly toward each other to positions perpendicular to the central section thereby to position together the rst and seventh sections and to register the complemental article seats therein.

In witness. whereof, I have hereunto, subscribed my name l WILLIAM J. DE BEAMER. 

